Is Stretching good or bad?

N

NeoBix

0
Hey folks,

I am very confused about something that you would think would have a simple yes or no answer, but to be honest I have heard different things from different people and I really just want the darn truth now, lol.

Is stretching good for you or bad for you?

I used to stretch before I would work out, I mean I would stretch every part of my body, but then one day I heard from a friend that he doesn't stretch before he works out because it doesn't do anything. So I really don't know WHAT to believe now.

Is stretching good for you? Bad for you? Both? Neither? I HAVE NO CLUE! lol. :yelrotflmao:

Basically... if you guys could list both the pros and the cons of stretching, it would be very helpful to me to decide if I really want to do them or not before my workouts. (and some people have said it is good to do stretches AFTER you workout too, so I don't know about that one either!)

My workouts are: push ups, crunches, and running and that is all for now but I plan to increase my workout more in the near future but I'm just not ready to do it yet.

Thanks a lot in advance folks!!
 
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it is "necessary" for medium to long run continued injury free fitness

when, how long, where and all that is an entirely different subject.

BUT- just because you do not know "yourself" well enough, do not just stop. Try listening to you body, and your experience, verses asking everybody else.

sincerely,'

sweat daily
FF
 
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That's a really good question.

The last article I read stated that distance runners do not benefit from being flexible. The most efficient runners (i.e., those who exerted the least effort to maintain a pace), were the stiffest. (Christopher Morse, Exercise Physiologist at Manchester Metropolitan University in England - http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/13/health/nutrition/13Best.html?pagewanted=all)

Scott Sonnon - Flow Coach of the Internet » Blog Archive » NY Times, “Stretching Won’t Help!” So What Does?

For bodybuilding/weight training, I recently read here that stretching can actually promote muscle growth. Doggcrap and DC training: http://training.fitness.com/weight-...-split-maybe-read-first-34522.html#post305358

So the long and the short of it? I really don't know. It seems to be somewhat dependent on what you are doing with your body (as is everything). All I know is what works for me.

Maybe a physiotherapist or personal trainer can straighten us out here?
 
Stretching is good and it is important. There are few categories of strecthing: Static, Dynamic, Ballistic and PNF.
The best way, (in my opinion and some experience) is to do a warm-up first and then do dynamic stretches, because this allows you to stretch the muscles, increase range of motion/movement (ROM) in joints/limbs and won't cool you right down.
Static stretching is great but since you have to hold the stretch for 10 or more seconds and assuming it is done straight after the warm-up, your muscles will most likely be cool by the time you start to work out. Therefore static stretching is probabaly best done at the end of the session as part of your cool-down.
Another benefit of doing static stretching at the end, is allowing better blood flow through the worked muscles, to remove by-products in those muscles due to exercise.
Ballistic stretching has a risk of injuring the muscles so it shouldn't be performed by the average person. Athletes training for a sport specific reason may do it but generally with a coach/instructor. PNF stretching is very good but similar to static stretches and sometimes done with a partner.

Here is a link of some Dynamic stretches:

Hope this helps.
 
What I've found works best for me is to do dynamic stretches before I do running (most, but not all of the ones in the link provided by fiddler), and to do static stretches after a lifting workout. I never stretch before lifting as I have only heard negative things about it; mostly how it increases risk of injury, but I always do after workout to increase strength and flexibility.
 
I only ever stretch for beer :D

I think it's a case of making sure it's done right. Stretching cold muscles increases your chances of injury so you need to warm up first if you want to stretch pre-workout

EDIT: Wasn't doing anything so looked up some links for people
- on this one, go down to the 'Stretching before a run' part. Both articles suggest you should warm up for a while before stretching
 
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Always stretch, but I guess that it because I come from a martial arts background where stretching is pretty damn important. The most important thing is knowing how to stretch properly and when to perform certain types of stretches. It can be boring, but then again, I can do the splits both ways which suprises people, especially when I get down in the middle of the gym after a hard workout :D
 
BigTomW said:
Only thing id love to stretch is my pen1s. Id love that extra inch.
Click to expand...


those sheep do tend to be quite deep.:p

I stretch after every workout. Whether it be weight training or cardio.
 
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